Flexible-Based Roof Vent for Metal Roofing

ABSTRACT

A roof ventilation apparatus or cover comprising a vent base having an opening formed therethrough, a vent cap attached to the vent base and at least partially covering the opening of the vent base, and a flexible base attached to the vent base and/or the vent cap. The flexible base may be in covering relationship to an outer periphery of the vent base or the vent cap. Furthermore, the flexible base may be configured to be molded to corrugations of a metal roof and secured thereto. The roof ventilation apparatus may be used in a method of replacing composite or wood shake roof shingles on a roof with metal roof panels and at least one vent opening in a sloped portion of the roof spaced away from a ridge line of the roof.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/385,837, filed Sep. 23, 2010, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to roof vent systems installed on residential and commercial buildings for the purpose of releasing hot, moist air from attics. To install such a system with conventional, asphalt shingles, a hole is cut in the plywood sheeting of a roof. A metal vent incorporating flat, metal flashing and a hood to prevent water entering the attic is then screwed down over the hole. Shingles can then be cut to lie around the protruding portion of the vent and covering the flashing in order to keep water from getting under the vent.

Due to their longer life and superior weather and fire resistance, metal roofs are becoming more popular in the construction of both residential and commercial buildings. These roofs presently do not allow for the use of conventional roof vents. Prior art methods for venting metal roofs require the installation of ridge cap vents. This involves careful measuring, marking and cutting along the ridge of the roof and then cutting the vents themselves to fit the length of the roof as well as the holes that have been cut, which is a labor-intensive project.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides the ability to use existing attic vent holes when installing a metal roof. A flexible base allows for the ventilation of various metal roofing profiles with a watertight seal, preventing the introduction of unwanted elements. By utilizing existing holes, this invention removes the necessity for cutting new holes in order to adapt a structure for the installation of metal roofing.

Specifically, a roof ventilation apparatus or roof vent cover of the present invention may comprise a vent base having an opening formed therethrough, a vent cap attached to the vent base and at least partially covering the opening of the vent base, and a flexible base attached to the vent base and/or the vent cap. Specifically, the flexible base may be in covering relationship to an outer periphery of the vent base or the vent cap. Furthermore, the flexible base may be configured to be molded to corrugations of a metal roof and secured thereto.

A method of attaching a roof ventilation apparatus to a roof, according to various embodiments of the invention, may first include the step of attaching to the roof a ventilation apparatus comprising a vent base, a vent cap, and a flexible base. The roof ventilation apparatus may also have a passage therethrough configured to communicate with an opening formed through the roof. Next, the method may comprise the steps of molding the flexible base to a surface portion of the roof surrounding the opening formed through the roof and securing the flexible base to the roof.

In another embodiment of the invention, a method of replacing composite or wood shake roof shingles on a roof with metal roof panels may first include a step of removing composite or wood shake roof shingles from sheathing of the roof. The roof, in this embodiment of the invention, may have a vent opening in a sloped portion of the roof spaced away from a ridge line of the roof. The method may further comprise the step of installing a plurality of metal roof panels and a roof vent cover onto the roof. Specifically, the metal roof panels may be installed onto the sheathing such that the vent opening is not covered by the metal roof panels. Furthermore, the roof vent cover may comprise a flexible base and a passage that communicates with the vent opening in the roof. Finally, the method may comprise the steps of molding the flexible base to conform with corrugations of the metal roof panels and securing the molded flexible base to at least a portion of the metal roof panels.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roof ventilation apparatus constructed according to various embodiments of the invention and installed on a metal roof;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the roof ventilation apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the roof ventilation apparatus of FIG. 1, including sheathing and roof panels of the metal roof;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a roof ventilation system constructed according to an alternative embodiment of the invention and installed on a metal roof; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the roof ventilation system of FIG. 4, including sheathing and roof panels of the metal roof.

The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the invention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the present technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

Embodiments of the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, include a roof ventilation apparatus 10 (also referred to herein as a roof vent cover) configured for attachment to a roof 12 to cover a vent hole 28 formed therethrough. The roof 12 may be made of any substantially rigid material, such as a metal roof comprising corrugated metal sheets. Specifically, the roof 12 may comprise a plurality of roof panels 14 attached to sheathing 16 secured to beams. The roof panels 14 preferably comprise metal panels, but it is within the scope of the present invention for other types of roofing materials to be used including plastic panels, composite panels, composition or wood shake shingles, or any other known roof-covering materials. The sheathing 16 may be plywood, oriented strand board (OBS), or any other sheathing known in the art of roofing. In one embodiment, the roof ventilation apparatus 10 comprises a flexible base 18 that conforms to corrugations of the roof 12, a vent base 20, and a vent cap 22.

The flexible base 18 may be configured for providing a watertight peripheral seal between the vent base 20 and/or the vent cap 22 and the roof 12. The flexible base 18 may be made of any flexible, moldable material. Specifically, the flexible base 18 may be manufactured from rubber, synthetic resin material (e.g., plastic), or any other hydrophobic material that can be molded to accommodate a wide range of metal roof profiles, and may further comprise a flexible metal lining to provide additional structural support. For example, the flexible base 18 may be made from any combination of the following flexible materials: thermoplastic polyolefins, polyolefin elastomers, and synthetic rubbers. Thermoplastic polyolefins may include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polymethylpentene (PMP), polybutene-1 (PB-1), and the like. Polyolefin elastomers may include polyisobutylene (PIB), ethylene propylene rubber (EPR), ethylene propylene diene Monomer (M-class) rubber (EPDM rubber), and the like. Synthetic rubbers may include nitrile butadiene rubber (Nitrile, NBR), polychloroprene (neoprene, CR), polysiloxane (silicon rubber, SI), and the like.

The flexible base 18 may also comprise one or more contours configured to mate or nest with one or more ridges of the roof 12. The flexible base 18 may have an opening or hole 34 formed therethrough and configured to align with the vent hole 28 of the roof 12. In some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-5, the flexible base 18 may further comprise or be integrally formed with a vent boot 30, such as a rubber vent boot. The vent boot 30 may be a hollow tube having two opposing open ends and may extend upward from the flexible base 18 and be aligned with the hole 34. The vent boot 30 may have any cross-sectional shape. For example, the vent boot 30 may have a stepped graduated conical configuration extending from the flexible base 18. The vent boot 30 may be placed over the vent tube 24 of the vent base 20.

The flexible base 18 may be attached to the vent base 20 and/or the vent cap 22 in covering relationship to an outer periphery of the vent base 20 or the vent cap 22 and may be configured to be molded to corrugations of the roof 12 and secured thereto. Specifically, the flexible base 18 may be cut (forming the hole 34) or otherwise formed to fit around a protruding portion of the vent base 20 and/or the vent cap 22. Alternatively, the flexible base 18 may be sealed to a bottom surface of the vent base 20 and extend outward from the outer periphery of the vent base 20.

A water or airtight seal may be formed between the flexible base 18 and the vent base 20 and/or between the flexible base 18 and the vent cap 22. The seal may be formed by way of permanent seaming by the manufacturer or installer. However, other methods of forming the seal may be employed without departing from the scope of the invention. The flexible base 18 may be configured to be reshaped or molded to corrugations of the roof 12 via the application of heat and/or pressure applied to the flexible base 18 after it is positioned on the roof 14. Other methods of reshaping the flexible base 18 to conform to the roof 12 may be employed without departing from the scope of the invention.

The vent base 20, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, may be fabricated from metal, plastic, structural composite, or any other rigid material. The vent base 20 may have any desired dimensions; however, in certain embodiments, the vent may have a length or width of between approximately six to thirty-six inches. The vent base 20 may comprise a vent tube 24 (also referred to herein as a tube portion) protruding from a flat portion 26 (also referred to herein as a flange portion), and may be configured to allow passage of air from the vent hole 28 to the vent cap 22. The flat portion 26 may be integrally formed with the vent tube 24, and the vent base 20 may be made of any rigid material, such as plastic, metal, composites, and the like.

The vent tube 24 may be a rigid, hollow tube having two open ends. For example, FIGS. 2 and 5 illustrated the vent tube 24 having a substantially cylindrical configuration. However, the vent tube 24 may have any cross-sectional shape without departing from the scope of the invention. The flat portion 26 is illustrated as a substantially square or rectangle sheet of rigid material with a hole cut therethrough and aligned with one of the openings of the vent tube 24. However, the flat portion 26 may be a rigid sheet of any shape and may comprise a hole of any shape formed therethrough without departing from the scope of the invention. In some embodiments of the invention, the flat portion 26 may be configured to be attached directly to the sheathing 16, with the associated roof panels 14 installed over the flat portion 26 and the vent tube 24 extending through a hole cut in the metal roof panels 14. Alternatively, the flat portion 26 may be attached directly to or on a top of one of the metal roof panels 14.

The vent cap 22 may be configured to allow hot air to escape without allowing unwanted elements in therethrough. The vent cap 22 may be fabricated from metal, plastic, structural composite, or any other rigid material. The size of the vent cap 22 may range from approximately six to thirty-six inches. However, the vent cap 22 may have any size without departing from the scope of the invention. In some embodiments of the invention, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the vent cap 22 may have a static vent configuration, as described below. Specifically, FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a slant back static metal roof vent having a plurality of screened or louvered vent openings formed therein and flanges configured to join the vent cap 22 with the flat portion 26 of the vent base 20. In other embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-5, the vent cap 22 may be a hood with venting ports attachable to the top of the vent tube 24. The hood may be designed in a manner that ensures escape of the hot or moist air from an attic via the vent hole 28 while ensuring that water and other unwanted elements are not able to enter the vent tube 24. The vent cap/hood 22 illustrated in FIGS. 4-5 has a circular cross-section, however vent caps of any shape or configuration may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. The vent cap 22 and/or the vent base 20 may be any roof vent known in the art, such as a static roof vent, power roof vent, wind turbine, and the like.

The roof ventilation apparatus 10 may be installed over the hole 28 of the roof 12 in a variety of ways, depending on the configuration of the roof 12 and/or the roof ventilation apparatus 10. For example, the flat portion 26 of the vent base 20 may be placed over or under the roof panels 14, as described below. Additionally, the vent cap 22 may be attached to the flat portion 26 or the vent tube 24 of the vent base 20, depending on the configuration of the vent cap 22. Furthermore, various methods of sealing the flexible base 18 to the vent base 20 and/or the vent cap 22 may be employed.

In one embodiment of the invention, the vent base 20 may be attached and/or integrated with the vent cap 22 to form a one-piece static vent 32, such as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. The static vent 32 may be a standard static vent with the addition of pre-cut slots around an edge thereof, which may be bent to provide additional securement to the roof 14. In this embodiment, the flexible base 18 may be cut to fit around a protruding portion of the static vent 32 and permanently seamed, by the manufacturer or installer, to a top surface of a bottom flange of the static vent 32. The completed assembly (flexible base 18 and static vent 32) may be placed over the hole 28 formed through the roof 12 for venting a room or attic, such that the completed assembly sits atop the roof 12. The flexible base 18 may then be molded to the roof 12. For example, the flexible base 18 may be molded such that it covers gaps between a bottom face of the static vent 32 and corrugations in the metal roof panels 14 of the roof 12, preventing the introduction of water and other unwanted elements. Finally, the completed assembly may be secured to the roof 12 by screwing sheet metal screws or other various mechanical attachments through the flexible base 18 into the roof panels 14 and sheathing 16.

In another embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-5, the roof ventilation apparatus 10 may consist of three separate components (the flexible base 18, the vent base 20, and the vent cap 22) that can be installed individually. In this embodiment of the invention, the flat portion 26 of the vent base 20, which may be similar to flashing on traditional roof vents, may be secured directly to the sheathing 16. In this example embodiment of the invention, the vent tube 24 may extend upward approximately four to six inches from the flat portion 26 and may be configured to protrude through the roof panels 14 via the vent hole 28. However, the vent tube 24 may have any dimensions without departing from the scope of the invention. Next, the roof panels 14 may be cut to fit around the vent tube 24 and installed over the flat portion 26, which is already attached directly to the sheathing 16, as described above.

Furthermore, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-5, to form a seal around the vent tube 24, the vent boot 30 extending from the flexible base 18 may be placed over the vent tube 24. The flexible base 18 may then be molded to the corrugations of the roof panels 14. A silicon or epoxy sealant may be applied to the base of the flexible vent boot 30 and/or the flexible base 18, which may then be screwed in place to the roof 12, providing a watertight seal to both the vent tube 24 and the roof 12. Next, the vent cap 22 (e.g., a hood with venting ports) may be attached to a top of the vent tube 24. The vent cap 22 may be designed in a manner that ensures escape of the hot or moist air from the attic while ensuring that water and other unwanted elements are not able to enter the vent tube 24.

The roof ventilation apparatus 10, as described above, may be used in a method of replacing roofing panels, such as composite or wood shake roof shingles, with metal roof panels 14. This method may particularly be useful when the vent opening 28 of the roof 12 is in a sloped portion of the roof 12 spaced away from a ridge line of the roof 12, such that ridge cap vents cannot be used. The method may comprise the steps of removing composite or wood shake roof shingles from the sheathing 16 of the roof 12, then installing a plurality of the metal roof panels 14 and the roof ventilation apparatus 10 onto the roof 12.

Specifically, the metal roof panels 14 may be installed onto the sheathing 16 such that the vent opening 28 is not covered by the metal roof panels 14. The hole 34 of the flexible base 18 may be in communication with and/or aligned with the vent opening 28 in the roof 12. Furthermore, the flexible base 18 may be attached or sealed to an outward-facing surface of the vent base 20 and/or the vent cap 22, with an opening of the vent base 20 aligned with the vent opening 28 in the roof 12.

Next, the method may comprise the steps of molding the flexible base 18 to conform with corrugations of the metal roof panels 14 and securing the molded flexible base 18 to at least a portion of the metal roof panels 14. As mentioned above, the flexible base 18 may be secured to the roof 12 with an adhesive and/or at least one mechanical fastener.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following: 

1. A method of attaching a roof ventilation apparatus to a roof, the method comprising: attaching to the roof a ventilation apparatus comprising a vent base, a vent cap, and a flexible base, the roof ventilation apparatus having a passage therethrough to communicate with an opening formed through the roof; molding the flexible base to a surface portion of the roof surrounding the opening formed through the roof; and securing the flexible base to the roof.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising attaching the vent cap to the vent base such that the vent cap substantially covers an opening of the vent base aligned with the opening formed through the roof.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vent cap is integrally formed with the vent base and substantially covers an opening of the vent base aligned with the opening formed through the roof.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible base is secured to the roof with at least one of an adhesive and one or more mechanical fasteners.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface portion of the roof to which the flexible base is molded is corrugated.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the roof comprises sheathing and metal roof panels attached onto the sheathing.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible base is made of at least one of rubber, a moldable hydrophobic material, and a flexible metal lining.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the sheathing is at least one of plywood and oriented strand board (OBS)
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible base is permanently seamed to a flange portion of the vent cap.
 10. A roof vent cover comprising: a vent base having an opening formed therethrough; a vent cap attached to the vent base and at least partially covering the opening of the vent base; and a flexible base attached to the vent base and/or the vent cap in covering relationship to an outer periphery of the vent base or the vent cap and configured to be molded to corrugations of a metal roof and secured thereto.
 11. The roof vent cover of claim 10, wherein the flexible base is made of at least one of rubber, a moldable hydrophobic material, and a flexible metal lining.
 12. The roof vent cover of claim 10, wherein the flexible base comprises one or more contours configured to align with one or more contours of the corrugated metal roof.
 13. The roof vent cover of claim 10, wherein the vent base has a tube portion protruding upward toward the vent cap and a flange portion configured to rest against the roof or against sheathing under the roof.
 14. The roof vent cover of claim 13, wherein the flexible base is permanently seamed to the flange portion of the vent cap.
 15. The roof vent cover of claim 10, wherein the vent base and vent cap are part of a standard static vent having pre-cut slots around the edge to allow an edge portion to be bent for providing securement to the roof.
 16. The roof vent cover of claim 10, wherein the vent base comprises a flat portion attachable to sheathing of the roof and a tube formed around the opening of the vent base and configured to protrude upward from the flat portion through metal roofing attached to the sheathing.
 17. The roof vent of claim 16, further comprising a rubber vent boot having a graduated conical configuration extending upward from the flexible base around an opening of the flexible base, wherein the rubber vent boot is installed over the tube of the vent base.
 18. The roof vent of claim 17, wherein the vent cap is a hood and is attached to at least one of the vent base tube and the rubber vent boot.
 19. The roof vent of claim 10, wherein the flexible base is configured to be secured to the roof using a mechanical fastener and/or an adhesive.
 20. The roof vent of claim 10, wherein at least one of the vent base and vent cap are made of at least one of metal, plastic, and structural composite.
 21. A method of replacing composite or wood shake roof shingles on a roof with metal roof panels, wherein the roof has a vent opening in a sloped portion of the roof spaced away from a ridge line of the roof, the method comprising: removing composite or wood shake roof shingles from sheathing of the roof; installing a plurality of metal roof panels and a roof vent cover onto the roof, the metal roof panels being installed onto the sheathing such that the vent opening is not covered by the metal roof panels, the roof vent cover comprising a flexible base and a passage that communicates with the vent opening in the roof; molding the flexible base to conform with corrugations of the metal roof panels; and securing the molded flexible base to at least a portion of the metal roof panels.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the flexible base has an opening formed therethrough substantially aligned with the vent opening in the roof.
 23. The method of claim 21, wherein the roof vent cover further comprises at least one of a vent base and a vent cap, wherein the flexible base is attached to an outward-facing surface of at least one of the vent base and the vent cap, wherein an opening of the vent base is aligned with the vent opening in the roof.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the flexible base is permanently seamed to a flange portion of the vent cap.
 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the flexible base is secured to the roof with at least one of an adhesive and one or more mechanical fasteners.
 26. The method of claim 21, wherein the flexible base is made of at least one of rubber, a moldable hydrophobic material, and a flexible metal lining.
 27. The method of claim 21, wherein the sheathing is at least one of plywood and oriented strand board (OBS). 